SIAP: OSU lawyer reportedly asked Courtney Smith to drop charges against Zach

Submitted by MIMark on

Sorry if this is not new, there's so much happening on this story and my memory only can handle so much.

http://amp.si.com/college-football/2018/08/29/courtney-smith-lawyer-charges-zach-smith-ohio-state

Reportedly an OSU lawyer asked Courtney Smith to drop charges against Zach "because it would embarrass OSU if she proceeded with the prosecution." Key word is reportedly as events happened three years ago.

Three things.

1. If true, this is a classic cover up, bow tied and all.

2. There is an article in the NYT suggesting that OSU puts sports above values. That is not news. But it is now in the top newspaper. If true, this allegation only doubles down on the perception. It says it right there, OSU cared less about a battered family than their football program.

3. This story isn't going away. Journalists are digging all over and are finding tidbits here and there. Between now and the end of Meyer's suspension, expect a lot more to emerge.

Bluetahfski

August 30th, 2018 at 1:57 PM ^

Some of the Buckeye slappies are saying that law in Ohio is that the police with sufficient evidence press charges.  The victim CANNOT.  Because of this, they're dismissing this report as inaccurate because she can't drop charges that she couldn't levy in the first place. 

Any Ohio lawyers on this blog that can confirm that??

canzior

August 30th, 2018 at 11:31 AM ^

Yeah there's no way this is over. It might take longer but it still could be the reason Urban leaves...if you listen to Pawwwl and McMurphy.  The Bruce family criticizing the school, as well as ZS has to be like watching the parents fight for OSU fans.

rymgoblue11

August 30th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^

This one time bruh, I was dating this girl at Michigan. She was hot AF. I sit down to play some Xbox after i cooked and we ate. 

She went into a god damned rage, from 0-100, screaming at me. I sat wide-eyed. 

Why? Claimed I put empty cling wrap back just to piss her off. If I wanted to piss her off I woulda banged her also hot roomie. 

She was bipolar, come to find out. 

 

 

 

Ihatebux

August 30th, 2018 at 2:34 PM ^

You realize it was Courtney against a multibillion dollar university.  She may have issues, but I would tend to believe her over all of the bucknuts and even if she was bat-shit crazy it still doesn't give her ex-athlete husband the right to kick her ass.   He could have just walked away.   Never ok to hurt a woman.

Squash34

August 30th, 2018 at 1:06 PM ^

I am not sure I am buying the police chief, he has a vested interest to say there are reasons they didn't believe CS. Afterall, if she was actually repeatedly assualted and they did nothing because it was an OSU coach....

I think if they had stuff to show why they didn't believe her the reports would be posted. I mean, the reason they are withholding the reports is because Smith wasn't charged.  However, if you are trying to protect the privacy of a man that wasn't charged why wouldn't you show the files after his name has been put through the mud? And it is not like Smith wouldn't have already leaked reports of this nature .

bluescreen

August 30th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^

Boy they sure tried hard to protect this guy. Zach Smith wasnt even that good of a coach, he recruited ok though. Just because hes Earle Bruces grandkid? I wonder what would happen here if Bos grandson was a wife beater? 

NFG

August 30th, 2018 at 11:36 AM ^

While at an NTC rotation, the SGM of my Brigade said to me, "Sir, you don't get what you don't ask for."

OSU had to at least ask...

Lou MacAdoo

August 30th, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^

Has she? I'm pretty sure she said that she never met with anyone from OSU, but she did say that they pressured her to drop charges. I read that this request for her to drop charges was via a letter that was sent to her. Am I remembering this wrong? If so, I'm sorry. See I take this medication that effects my memory. 

grumbler

August 30th, 2018 at 9:48 PM ^

She said that Meyers and company pressured her in 2009.  She claims that she was never contacted by anyone at OSU in 2015 (when Meyer and GSmith "investigated" and found ZSmith truthful and CSmith a liar - exactly the kind of "investigation" Title IX was passed to eliminate). What's astonishing is that the OSu investigation and their BoT and President concluded specifically that Meyer deliberately bypassed the legally and contractually mandated Title IX requirements, but that that was okay.  They didn't even cloak it in the memory figleaf, they just approved of it. Direct and deliberate violation of not just the spirit, but the letter of Title IX - okay.

And Ramzy Douchecanoe Ramzallah not only licks the OSU BoT's balls for this, but claims that Michigan was in the wrong for following Title IX to the letter in the Gibbons case.

I've come around to the proposal of others that a conference that allows OSU, MSU, and PSU to remain members isn't one I want my school to associate with.  Time for  shakeup.

Wolverine 73

August 30th, 2018 at 11:38 AM ^

Watching OSU twist in the wind as more and more embarrassing details emerge is rather satisfying.  My only question is how  comfortable they feel about living in their Columbus, Ohio bubble, where national scrutiny is dismissed as irrelevant.  I suspect Drake at least has to be concerned, as well as many faculty members.  Football fans, not so much.

Perkis-Size Me

August 30th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^

As long as their football team keeps winning, the criticism is easy for them to drown out. Winning makes a lot of problems go away. 

Now if Meyer started dropping a few games, that's when shit would really hit the fan in Columbus. If there is one program in America that would not know how to handle losing, it's OSU. Even with Alabama and Clemson, two programs that I'd argue are more dominant than OSU right now, those two at least have recent periods of mediocrity in their history. 

YoOoBoMoLloRoHo

August 30th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^

Drake undoubtedly dinged his career with this fiasco. I would expect him to leave asap so he can still position himself as above the fray.

Smith has no career beyond Cbus. Meyer has probably narrowed his career options to only a few “win at all cost” locations like the SEC or 3rd rate programs like Louisville. The rest of the OSU population might be annoyed but unaffected.  

Besides, this situation is not out of character for OSU and the vigorous defense of ZS and the program by fans just reiterates what OSU is at its core.

PopeLando

August 30th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^

True. Some dirt beats its wife, some dirt covers for a wife beater, some dirt rapes women , some dirt rapes kids, some dirt kills football players, some dirt commits academic fraud, and some dirt stretches too much. But hey, it's all dirt...

Perkis-Size Me

August 30th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^

Rabble rabble rabble this is a private family matter, not an OSU matter rabble rabble rabble Meyer did nothing wrong rabble rabble rabble media witch hunt. 

-Every OSU fan for the last month

Wyandot Buckeye Fan

August 30th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^

If true is the important part.  I think you idiots should worry more about Notre Shame than worry about what's happening in Columbus.

Blueverine

August 30th, 2018 at 12:55 PM ^

Good point. There are more than enough people (idiots?) in Columbus who are worrying about potential legal action down the road. You've got yourself a nice new cottage industry on domestic and sexual abuse started for the local law firms.